INFORMATION FOR VISITORS AND PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Directions to the Music Department (Occidental College, Booth Hall):

You can find directions to the College by clicking here, or use Mapquest or Google Maps to navigate to the intersection of Campus Road and Bird Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041. The Music Department is located at the intersection of Campus Road and Ridgeview Ave. (left) and Bird Road (right). Turn right from Campus Road onto Bird Road, and then take the first driveway to your right -- this is Booth Hall, the home of the Music Department. The main office is on the same level, Booth 205.

Some of Oxy's current Music students

You can contact some of our current Music majors and minors by sending them email:

Reba Buhr, '10 (Music and Theater double major, buhrr (at) oxy (dot) edu). Reba studies voice with Diane Thomas and has been involved with the Glee Club and the Accidentals, the women's a cappella group, at Occidental. She is active in the Theater Department, most recently in Oxy's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado in spring 2007. She is also a champion beatboxer.

Stephen Bent, '09 (Music major, Theater minor, sbent (at) oxy (dot) edu). Stephen studies conducting with Jeffrey Bernstein and Allen Gross, directs the male a cappella group Cadence, sings and serves on the Executive Committee for the Glee Club, and studies voice with Diane Thomas. He is also a dedicated trombonist, working under the tutelage of James Sawyer while playing in both the Jazz Band and Oxy/Cal-Tech Symphony as well as various chamber ensembles. Stephen's prowess on trombone won him the Howard Swan Award as a first-year student and the Concerto Competition as a sophomore, performing Launy Grondahl's Concerto for Trombone & Orchestra with the Symphony. Obsessed with becoming as well-rounded of a musician as possible, he also plays the piano, trumpet, vocal percussion, guitar, euphonium, drum set, and accordion. And to top it all off, he's a darned nice guy.

Awards for Oxy Music students:

The Howard Swan Award is given each year to talented first-year students. It provides a year of hour-long lessons with Oxy's applied music faculty, as well as a cash stipend each semester.

The James F. and Marie E. English Award is given to Occidental's most promising voice student, supporting a year of hour-long lessons. Auditions for the English award are near the end of the Spring semester each year.

The Peters Memorial Prize is presented to the student who, in the opinion of the Music faculty, has done the most during the year to "advance the ideals and prestige of music on campus."

The Warren Composition Awards are presented to students who have demonstrated significant achievement in musical composition. The awards are named for Elinor Remick Warren, an American composer who was associated with Occidental College. Awards are given for both acoustic and electronic compositions. Submission of compositions occurs in the Spring semester.

The Marcia Hannah Farmer Award is given to the year's most promising organ student, and is used to support the study of organ at Occidental.

Last updated 03/17/2008